Trinity’s Falcone and Peddicord headline 2014 All-SCAC Women's Soccer voting

Trinity’s Falcone and Peddicord headline 2014 All-SCAC Women's Soccer voting

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – In exclusive voting by the head women's soccer coaches of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC), Trinity University's Kelsey Falcone was selected SCAC Offensive Player-of-the-Year while her teammate, Kirby Peddicord, was named SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Year. Complete Release

In the same balloting, Ruth Blackburn of Schreiner University, Zoe Gulick of Texas Lutheran University and Elena Naccari of the University of Dallas were tabbed the league's Tri-Newcomer-of-the-Year.

Voting for SCAC Coach-of-the-Year was also split among three honorees with Lance Key of Trinity, Nick Morrison of Schreiner and Angelina Pane of Dallas receiving equal support from their peers.

A senior midfielder from San Antonio, Texas, and a two-time Offensive Player-of-the-Week selection during the 2014 season, Kelsey Falcone currently ranks second in the league in goals scored (18), assists (14), points (50) and game-winning goals (5). She was named the Offensive MVP of last weekend's conference tournament after scoring the eventual game-winner in the seventh minute of Sunday's title-clinching victory over Texas Lutheran. In addition, she netted two goals - including the game-winner - in Saturday's semifinal win over Austin College. The award marked the second consecutive year that Falcone earned SCAC Tournament Offensive MVP honors – the only player in league history to accomplish that feat.  Her 146 career points (52 goals, 42 assists) are the sixth-most in SCAC history and she trails only current teammate Emily Jorgens and Abigail Loar (2008-11) on the school's all-time scoring list.

Falcone was the coaches' consensus choice for Offensive Player-of-the-Year as she received six votes in the balloting. Senior forward Nicole Johnson of Dallas received the remaining first-place vote.

Kirby Peddicord, a senior defender from Houston, Texas, was Trinity's most consistent defender throughout the year. Returning off a NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team selection a year ago, Peddicord has played in every match and the majority of the team's minutes throughout the season. As a team, the Tigers have conceded only six goals in 21 matches (and only two in conference competition). Only six teams in league history have surrendered fewer goals during the regular season than the six allowed by the 2014 Tigers. The SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Week in Week 4, Peddicord also chipped in offensively with one goal and three assists for five points during the regular season.

Like Falcone, Peddicord was the coaches' consensus choice for Defensive Player-of-the-Year as she received six votes in the balloting. First-year goalkeeper Elena Naccari of Dallas received the remaining vote.

Ruth Blackburn, a first-year forward from Wylie, Texas, tied for third among all conference first-year players (tied for ninth overall) in scoring with 12 points on five goals and two assists. She led Schreiner in almost every offensive category this season, including goals, assists, points, shots (25) and shots on goal (13). She took three of her team's seven shots in the Mountaineers' 2-0 opening round loss to Dallas in last weekend's conference tournament. With this honor, Blackburn becomes the first student-athlete from Schreiner to earn one of the SCAC's Player-of-the-Year awards in any fall sport.

Zoe Gulick, a first-year defender from New Braunfels, Texas, started every game at center back for Texas Lutheran this season and helped lead the Bulldogs to a second place regular season finish as well as a runner-up finish at the 2014 SCAC Tournament. A major factor on free kicks at both ends throughout the season, Gulick was the league's Defensive Player-of-the-Week in Week 7 when she contributed to two shutout conference victories and also provided the game-winning goal, not to mention tallying her first career assist, in a victory over Dallas. Since 2010, Gulick is just the sixth first-year player to earn First Team All-SCAC honors.

Elena Naccari, a first-year goalkeeper from Covington, La., helped lead Dallas to a third place finish during the regular season as she allowed just 21 goals (fourth in the SCAC) and posted a 1.57 goals against average (fifth in the SCAC) with 68 saves (fourth in the SCAC) and five shutouts (tied for the league lead), including two in the Crusaders' last three matches. Naccari, the SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Week in Week 10, is the first goalkeeper to be awarded conference Newcomer-of-the-Year in the 14-year history of the award.

Blackburn, Gulick, and Naccari each received two votes in the Newcomer-of-the-Year voting to share the award. First-year defender Riley Spudic of Centenary College received the remaining first-place vote for Newcomer-of-the-Year.

Lance Key, in his 11th year as head coach at Trinity, led the Tigers to their 19th SCAC championship - the ninth under Key - with a 12-0-0 conference mark and 20-0-1 overall record. He has posted a 188-18-16 record (.883) while at the helm of the women's soccer program – giving him the highest winning percentage among anyone who has ever coached in the SCAC in any team sport. The SCAC Coach-of-the-Year award is the seventh of his career. After guiding his squad to the NCAA Division III title game a year ago, Trinity will be competing in its 10th NCAA postseason tournament in the past 11 years, and 20th overall, when the Tigers host the University of Texas-Tyler this weekend in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs.

In his second season as head coach of the Mountaineers, Nick Morrison led Schreiner to a 4-11-1 overall mark and the program's first-ever post-season appearance as the sixth seed at the 2014 SCAC Women's Soccer Tournament. Schreiner doubled its win total from a year ago, despite starting as many as eight freshmen and not having a single senior on the roster. The Mountaineers were in almost every game – only dropping two matches (both to eventual SCAC champion and nationally-ranked Trinity) by more than two goals.

Also in her second season, Angelina Pane guided Dallas to a 10-9-1 overall mark, 7-4-1 in the SCAC, and the third seed in the 2014 SCAC Women's Soccer Tournament. Under Pane, the Crusaders won a first-round tournament match for the second consecutive year – defeating Schreiner 2-0 in this year's quarterfinal round – before falling to the No. 2 seed Texas Lutheran, 1-0, in the semis. The 2014 squad finished second in the SCAC in scoring, and the 10 victories represented a three win improvement from 2013.

Key, Morrison and Pane each received two votes from their peers in the COTY voting. Larry Schaffer of Texas Lutheran received the remaining vote.


2014 SCAC Women's Soccer Offensive Player-of-the-Year
Kelsey Falcone, Trinity University, Sr., M, San Antonio, Texas

2014 SCAC Women's Soccer Defensive Player-of-the-Year
Kirby Peddicord, Trinity University, Sr., D, Houston, Texas

2014 SCAC Women's Soccer Tri-Newcomer-of-the-Year
Ruth Blackburn, Schreiner University, Fy., F, Wylie, Texas
Zoe Gulick, Texas Lutheran University, Fy., D, New Braunfels, Texas
Elena Naccari, University of Dallas, Fy., GK, Covington, La.

2014 SCAC Women's Soccer Tri-Coach-of-the-Year
Lance Key, Trinity University, 12-0-0 SCAC (1st place / 20-0-1 overall)
Nick Morrison, Schreiner University, 2-9-1 SCAC (6th place / 4-11-1 overall)
Angelina Pane, University of Dallas, 7-4-1 SCAC (3rd place / 10-9-1 overall)


2014 All-SCAC Women's Soccer First Team                                         
Kirby Peddicord, Trinity University, Sr., D, Houston, Texas
Kimberly Polasek, Trinity University, Jr., D, Houston, Texas
Shelby Hopkins, Trinity University, Sr., D, Albuquerque, N.M.
Zoe Gulick, Texas Lutheran University, Fy., D, New Braunfels, Texas
Nicole Johnson, University of Dallas, Sr., F, Houston, Texas
Emily Jorgens, Trinity University, Sr., F, Austin, Texas
Sarah Bevins, Southwestern University, So., F, Austin, Texas
Sioned Kirkpatrick, Texas Lutheran University, Jr., F, Spring Branch, Texas
Kelsey Falcone, Trinity University, Sr., M, San Antonio, Texas
Hannah Kuhl, Trinity University, Sr., M, Austin, Texas
Kelly Lochte, Texas Lutheran University, Jr., M, Schertz, Texas
Devon Osegueda, Trinity University, Sr., GK, San Diego, Calif.
Erin Rose, Texas Lutheran University, So., GK, San Antonio, Texas

2014 All-SCAC Women's Soccer Second Team
Tara Armstrong, Texas Lutheran University, So., D, Rocklin, Calif.
Anna Claire Cooke, Austin College, Sr., D, Abilene, Texas
Ana Gutierrez, Southwestern University, Fy., D, San Antonio, Texas
Riley Spudic, Centenary College, Fy., D, Coppell, Texas
Ruth Blackburn, Schreiner University, Fy., F, Wylie, Texas
Maggie Olvera, Trinity University, Jr., F, Dallas, Texas
Madison Alexander, Centenary College, Jr., F, Keller, Texas
Mackenzie Vasile, University of Dallas, Fy., F, San Antonio, Texas
Cascade Mayer, University of Dallas, So., M, Kapaa, Hawaii
Alice Nelson, University of Dallas, Fy., M, Jackson, Tenn.
Carol Bentley, Southwestern University, Sr., M, Katy, Texas
Erin Eckart, Austin College, Fy., M, Oklahoma City, Okla.
Alex Gill, Schreiner University, Fy., M, Tomball, Texas
Franchesca Lozoya, Austin College, Jr., GK, Lubbock, Texas
Katherine Rodgers, Southwestern University, Jr., GK, Chattanooga, Tenn.

2014 All-SCAC Women's Soccer Honorable Mention
Kirsten Mazur, Southwestern University, Jr., D, Georgetown, Texas
Kayla Nguyen, University of Dallas, Sr., D, Olathe, Kan.
Colleen Markey, Trinity University, Fy., M, Raleigh, N.C.
Tyler Marquez, Austin College, Sr., M, Albuquerque, N.M.
Emily Donnan, Trinity University, Jr., M, Houston, Texas
Yasmeen Farra, Trinity University, So., M, Austin, Texas
Elena Naccari, University of Dallas, Fy., GK, Covington, La.


Note: Coaches voted for first team and second team – with each voted team consisting of three defenders, three midfielders, three forwards, one goalkeeper and one at-large selection. A first-team vote was worth two points and a second-team vote was worth one point. Any player who received at least two different votes from the coaches, but did not receive enough votes to earn either first or second team honors, was named Honorable Mention. Coaches could not vote for their own players.